Heart vs. Sarah PalinSong: "Barracuda"Sarah "Barracuda" Palin used the song to exit her big speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention, and Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were not amused. The McCain campaign got a cease-and-desist notice, and Ann Wilson sent a blistering note to Entertainment Weekly highlighting the "irony" of the GOPer's choice: "Sarah Palin's views and values in no way represent us as American women.... ["Barracuda"] was written in the late '70s as a scathing rant against the soulless, corporate nature of the music business, particularly for women..."

Talking Heads vs. Charlie CristSong: "Road to Nowhere"Frontman David Byrne sued Crist in May for using the song in a commercial against opponent Marco Rubio. He's seeking $1 million in damages. Crist pulled the ad, but Byrne says "the damage had already been done by it being out there. People that I knew had seen it." The Steve Miller Band asked Rubio to stop using "Take the Money and Run" to attack Crist, but didn't sue.

Foo Fighters, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, and Van Halen vs. John McCainSongs: "My Hero"; "Our Country" and "Pink Houses"; "Running on Empty"; "Right Now"McCain is the most remarkable repeat-offender in this arena. All of these performers told John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign to stop playing their songs, with Browne suing McCain and the Ohio Republican Party for $75,000 in damages. Other artists who sent cease-and-desist orders to McCain include ABBA, Chuck Berry, John Hall, comedian Mike Myers, and Frankie Valli.

Tom Petty vs. George W. BushSong: "I Won't Back Down"Petty threatened to sue Bush during the 2000 campaign if he didn't stop using the song, since he believed it constituted an endorsement. Bush's campaign at first resisted, then agreed to stop. Petty then played the song at the house of Bush's rival, Al Gore, moments after Gore conceded the fraught election; Tipper Gore played drums.